The effects of electricity network development besides routine malaria control measures in an underdeveloped region in the pre-elimination phase

BACKGROUND: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of electricity network development on malaria transmission. The study was performed in the rural areas of three districts in Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province, Iran. METHODS: From the mentioned districts, 122 rural communities were selected. The data of the years 2005–2009 were collected retrospectively from data banks of the district health centres and the offices of the local electricity network. Fixed and random effects panel data regression models were fitted to determine the effects of electrification and other variables on malaria transmission during the elimination phase. RESULTS: It seems that access to electricity of rural communities, if not harmful, has no obvious effect on malaria control and prevention at least during the elimination phase in an underdeveloped region. Elevation above sea level and precipitation during spring and summer were found to be the other important, respectively, time-invariant and time-dependent variables associated with decreasing and increasing malaria transmission. Indoor residual spraying and the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets were not found to be effective in decreasing malaria transmission in the elimination phase. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of electricity to a rural community does not guarantee an absolutely good effect on the reduction of malaria transmission.